Learn why buyers choose you, or a rival
We ask category buyers how you and your named competitors perform on the things that matter to them, and hear from people who chose a rival. You see where you lead, where you trail and which needs nobody meets well.
Chapter 01 · The problem
Your own data stops at your own customers
Sales figures show what you sold, not why someone bought from a rival instead. A competitor's website shows what it claims, not what buyers believe. To see the market the way buyers see it, you have to ask them, including people who have never bought from you. Competitor research looks at the whole set of brands through the eyes of the people choosing between them.
Chapter 02 · How it works
How we run it
Start from the decision
Entering a market, defending share and changing your position each need different questions. We agree the decision first, then the competitors to include and the buyers to ask.
Rate every brand on what matters
A survey asks category buyers how much each need matters to them and how well each brand they know meets it.
Hear from people who chose a rival
Invite customers you lost from your own list with a survey link, or find people who switched brands on our panel. Open, audio and video answers give their reasons in their own words.
Add what is public
Where it helps, our researchers add desk research on competitors' ranges, prices and claims, with sources, so buyer views sit next to what rivals actually do.
Fig. 2.1The decision first
- Enter a marketWho to beat, where to start
- Defend shareWhy buyers leave, and to whom
- Change positionWhich space is open
Competitors
- Your brand
- Brand B
- Brand C
- Brand D
- Store brand
Buyers
- Bought plant-based milk in the past three months
Fig. 2.2Every brand on every need
| Brand | Taste | Foam for coffee | Shelf life | Price | Recyclable carton |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Your brand | 71 | 48 | 39 | 58 | 41 |
| Brand B | 68 | 74 | 42 | 52 | 38 |
| Brand C | 62 | 51 | 45 | 66 | 35 |
| Store brand | 55 | 40 | 37 | 79 | 33 |
Scores out of 100, from people who know each brand.
Fig. 2.3Why people left
Why did you change the plant-based milk you buy?
Transcript · Switched to Brand B, 29Mine kept splitting in my latte. Brand B just foams, so I stopped buying the other one.
AI follow-upWas there anything else that made you switch?
Switched to Brand B, 29It was on offer the first time. After that it was the foam.
- Transcribed
- Relevance 0.93
- Attention 0.89
- 1 AI follow-up
Reasons for switching, from open and video answersShareSentiment
- Foams better in coffee38%
- Cheaper per carton27%
- Saw it on offer15%
PositiveNeutralNegative
Fig. 2.4What rivals actually do
Brand BRange
Launched a barista range in three sizes
Source: brand website
Brand CPrice
Cut the price of its largest carton
Source: retailer listings
Store brandPack
Moved to a recyclable carton
Source: retailer website
Chapter 03 · What we measure
What we measure
- 3.1
Importance
How much each need matters when people choose.
- 3.2
Performance
How well each brand meets each need, rated by people who know it.
- 3.3
Brand image
Which words and statements people link to each brand.
- 3.4
Shortlist and first choice
Which brands make the shortlist, and which one wins.
- 3.5
Switching
Which brand people left, which one they moved to, and why.
Chapter 04 · The example
Example: an oat milk brand looks for a gap to own
A US oat milk brand wants to know where it stands against four rivals.
It surveys US adults who bought plant-based milk in the past three months. Each person rates how much seven needs matter, such as taste, foam for coffee, shelf life, price and a recyclable carton, and how well each brand they know meets them. People who recently switched brands explain why in a short video answer. The gap map shows two needs that matter a lot and that no brand meets well, and one need where the client trails a named rival. The team picks one gap to own in its next product and one weakness to fix.
“Mine kept splitting in my latte. Brand B just foams.”
“Once it's open I've got a few days. Then half of it goes down the sink.”
Gap no brand fillsYou, on foam for coffeeBrand B, on foam for coffeeOther needs
Chapter 05 · What you get
What you get
- 5.1
Brands side by side
How each brand scores on each need, among the buyers who know it.
- 5.2
A map of gaps
Needs plotted by how much they matter against how well they are met, so the gaps no brand fills stand out.
- 5.3
Reasons for switching, ranked
Open and video answers grouped into themes, so you see which reasons are common and which are loud but rare.
- 5.4
A profile of each rival
Its strengths and weak spots, as buyers describe them.
- 5.5
Desk research notes
Public facts on rivals' ranges, prices and messages, each with its source.
Built on CatalyseAI
What runs underneath the story
Video answers, read for meaning
People answer on camera inside a normal survey. An AI interviewer asks up to three follow-up questions, and every accepted answer is transcribed, searchable and scored for relevance to the topic from 0 to 1.
Themes, with the quotes behind them
Open and video answers are grouped into themes, each with a sentiment bar and the quotes that support it. Ask the study reads the transcripts and answers your questions in plain English.
Groups side by side
Compare up to five audience groups in every chart, with markers where a difference is significant, plus crosstabs and weighting.
Chapter 06 · Questions
Questions, answered
Do we need a list of our competitors' customers?
No. We find people who buy the category on our panel and ask which brands they use. That reaches your rivals' customers without any list.
Can we include customers we lost?
Yes. A link survey goes to your own list, so people who left you answer the same core questions, plus a few about why they left.
Will this tell us our market share?
No. A survey of buyers shows use and preference, not sales share. For estimates of market size and share, see market sizing and demand forecasting.
Do you add desk research?
Yes, where it helps. Our researchers gather public information on competitors, such as ranges, prices and claims, and note the source of each fact.
Related
Goes well with
Put your rivals under the same lens
Tell us the market and the competitors that worry you most. We will suggest the mix of survey, open answers and desk research that fits.
Nearest office: Orlando, FL (corporate office)